tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1078310939454707432014-10-28T12:55:13.337-04:00Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My!One author's journey through the wilds of publishingJ.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comBlogger367125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-86469237711582661602014-10-28T12:55:00.000-04:002014-10-28T12:55:13.359-04:00NEW RELEASE and Giveaway Galore!RISE has risen! For all those who've wondered what exactly is the deal with that Timothy character in RENEGADE, here's your answer.&nbsp; RISE is the creepy and thrilling new novella in the Elysium Chronicles. It's a first-hand account of the events that lead up to the opening of RENEGADE from Timothy's perspective. <br /><br data-mce-bogus="1" /><br data-mce-bogus="1" /><br data-mce-bogus="1" /><div style="text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Rise_JASouders_1600-2400.jpg" href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Rise_JASouders_1600-2400.jpg"><img alt="Rise_JASouders_1600-2400" class="aligncenter wp-image-920 size-large" data-mce-src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Rise_JASouders_1600-2400-682x1024.jpg" height="640" src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Rise_JASouders_1600-2400-682x1024.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><br data-mce-bogus="1" /><blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">Timothy has lived his entire life in darkness, under the oppressive rule of Mother in the underwater city of Elysium. As part of the Underground, a rebel group opposing Mother’s dictatorship, he has one role: get close to the Daughter of the People, Miss Evelyn, in order to obtain enough information to take her and Mother down.</div></blockquote></blockquote><br /><blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Evie.</div></blockquote></blockquote><br /><blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">He wasn’t supposed to care.</div></blockquote></blockquote><br /><blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">And now he has a choice: risk everything – his life, his mission, his people – to protect her…or sacrifice her for the justice of all.</div></blockquote></blockquote><br /><blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">RISE is a chilling prequel to RENEGADE, an Elysium Chronicles short story.</div></blockquote></blockquote><br data-mce-bogus="1" />I'm so excited for everyone to read this one. Timothy was originally a character that was meant to catapult the story forward, but to my surprise there was a lot of people who wanted to know more about him. And once I got writing his story, I found out there was actually more to his story than even <strong><em></em><em>I</em></strong><em></em> know. It was an extremely emotional story for me, knowing what I know about him. I spent many hours writing and editing his story through blurry vision from tears, so I really hope that everyone likes this one.<br /><br data-mce-bogus="1" />In celebration of this story, I'm hosting a Facebook virtual launch party <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/events/731058593631648/?ref_notif_type=plan_user_joined&amp;source=1" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/731058593631648/?ref_notif_type=plan_user_joined&amp;source=1">here</a> from 7:30pm EST (4:30pm Pacific). I'll be giving away books, gift cards, fun Halloween things, and whatever else I feel like giving away, so I hope you'll join me there tonight!&nbsp; <br /><br data-mce-bogus="1" />J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-78329008772844309492014-10-02T11:53:00.001-04:002014-10-02T11:53:47.481-04:00Ginormous Book Signing!!A few months ago, I mentioned on Facebook that my local Books-a-million wanted to do a giant book signing with a bunch of authors. I'm happy to say that this event is in the final planning stages and more information will be sent out shortly. However, I need to judge the amount of interest of readers in attending the event.<br /><br />&nbsp;The event will be held December 6th in Orlando, Florida. So, yay, warm weather! And awesome authors--I can't confirm at this minute who exactly is coming, but let me assure you, you're <b><i>NOT</i></b> going to want to miss them. And most importantly BOOKS!!!<br /><br />&nbsp;There <b><i>will</i> </b>be a hotel block reserved for those that need it and transportation provided to and from the hotel for those that are coming from far away. To judge initial interest for both Books-a-Million and for me to make sure I have a the right size venue for the signing, please fill out the form below. There is absolutely <b><i>NO OBLIGATION</i></b> to go if you fill out the form, it is solely to judge the possible interest, so if you even remotely think this might be interesting to you, please fill out the form below. And feel free to tell anyone and everyone you can about it, the more people we have coming, the more authors we can convince to join us. :P <br /><br />J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-54674514313040888792014-03-28T09:35:00.000-04:002014-03-28T09:35:46.525-04:00Skip a Starbucks Day Adoption Fundraiser + Giveaways Galore!<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.cjredwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/skip-starbucks-day-adoption-fundraiser.html" href="http://www.cjredwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/skip-starbucks-day-adoption-fundraiser.html"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4gJQb5g6ui8/TG_TCV8BPUI/AAAAAAAAARw/SWuB-fV6DQs/s320/skipstarbucks2.png" height="156" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4gJQb5g6ui8/TG_TCV8BPUI/AAAAAAAAARw/SWuB-fV6DQs/s320/skipstarbucks2.png" width="251" /></a></div><br />As you've probably guessed by now, I'm a huge advocate of helping out wherever I can.&nbsp; And I'm honored to say that I'm able to do just that by supporting my good writing friend, C.J. Redwine, and her awesome decision to adopt another beautiful baby girl named Isabella Grace (there are no words for how much I adore this name.) by helping with her fundraiser/giveaway to raise the funds necessary to bring Isabella home from China.<br />Here's a brief snippet of their story:<br /><blockquote><div>In November of 2010, my husband Clint and I were in China finalizing the adoption of our first daughter and preparing to bring her home. During the two and a half weeks that we were in China, we both came to the realization that we had to go back. We knew there was one more little girl waiting somewhere in China who belonged in our family. We also knew that this time around, we wanted to adopt a child with some medical needs.</div><div><br /></div><div>We turned in our dossier to China in the beginning of February 2014, and we figured, based on the average wait time for special needs families, that we had about an 8 month wait to get our referral. (A child’s picture and file matched to a family.) But there are two ways to be matched to a child through the special needs program. One is to wait for China to get to your file, translate it, and then search for a child who matches your medical checklist (the list of things we’ve said we’d accept). The other is to be matched to one of the Special Focus kids whose files are sent to our agency each month. Special Focus children are those who are considered hard to place with a family. They have multiple medical conditions, and many families sign on for only one need.</div><div><br /></div><div>Clint and I early on felt that we needed to be open to multiple needs. I kept seeing us with a girl who had a cleft palate and a heart murmur. Clint kept seeing us with a girl who had minor hearing loss and a missing or extra limb.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two weeks after our dossier arrived in China, our agency called us with a Special Focus child to consider. Her file arrived to us on her second birthday. She had cleft palate, congenital heart disease, minor hearing issues, and an extra thumb.</div><div><br /></div><div>In other words, she is everything Clint and I kept seeing for our daughter. *cue the moment we started weeping*</div></blockquote>To read the rest of the story and see how adorable Isabella is check out <a data-mce-href="http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/skip-starbucks-day-adoption-fundraiser.html" href="http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/skip-starbucks-day-adoption-fundraiser.html">C.J.'s post</a>.<br />Needless to say she's needs our help to bring Isabella home and that's where SKIP A STARBUCKS DAY comes in. An awesome group of C.J.'s friends have banded together to ask our readers to skip whatever daily (or weekly) luxuries we enjoy (like my beloved KitKats) and donate the money you would have spent and instead help C.J. bring her newest little girl home.<br /><br />In return, you'll be entered into contests to win many fabulous donated prizes!<br /><br />C.J. is hosting a HUGE giveaway, so pop on over to her <a data-mce-href="http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/skip-starbucks-day-adoption-fundraiser.html" href="http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/skip-starbucks-day-adoption-fundraiser.html">blog</a> to read all about it (and of course the rest of their amazing story). It starts today and continues through the weekend until Monday morning at 9am CST.<br /><br />To sweeten the pot, I'm also adding my own personal giveaway of the following items:<br /><ol><li>Starbucks giftcard, so you can have your cake (coffee) and eat (drink) it too. ;) (to five generous people) Open Internationally.</li><li>A signed set of the first 2 installments of The Elysium Chronicles (RENEGADE; REVELATIONS) + the novella A DARK GRAVE (to three wonderful people) US/Canada only-unless you're okay with e-copies.</li><li>A Bath and Body Works gift set (to one fab. person) US only.</li></ol>And here's how to enter:<br /><br />Visit <a data-mce-href="http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/skip-starbucks-day-adoption-fundraiser.html" href="http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/2014/03/skip-starbucks-day-adoption-fundraiser.html">C.J.'s blog</a> and <a data-mce-href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=WYDwKDshSuwRYnOBc9wOURtU5WwAlAONHXuodQ8B9zRI1S2EsZ6-_6TLr54&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d8cdcf517b037b4502f6cc98f1ee6e5fb" href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=WYDwKDshSuwRYnOBc9wOURtU5WwAlAONHXuodQ8B9zRI1S2EsZ6-_6TLr54&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d8cdcf517b037b4502f6cc98f1ee6e5fb">donate</a> money to help bring Isabella home.<br />For every $5 you donate, you are eligible for 1 entry in my contest.***<br />You can also earn 1 additional entry by promoting the Skip A Starbucks Day fundraiser. (Only 1 extra entry total though. NOT 1 per time you promote.)<br />&nbsp;Come back here and tell me how many entries you qualify for. (Example: If you donate $10 to the cause and then promote the fundraiser you get 3 entries.)<br />You can either leave your entry number in the comments here on <em>this</em> blog, or you can EMAIL your number of entries to me at: j.souders AT jasouders DOT com.<br />Please title your email: Skip a Starbuck's Day<br /><br />***Entries will be verified with C.J. Redwine's donation receipts, so please be honest!J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-40046398027263475212014-02-14T10:56:00.001-05:002014-02-14T10:56:25.384-05:00Valentine's Day Spreading the love charity giveaway!Happy Valentine's Day!!! I hope everyone gets to spend some awesome quality time with your loved ones today.<br /><br />I don't normally celebrate V-day myself, because of all the materialistic attitudes about the day, however, I do usually find a way to celebrate it in my own way. This year, I've adopted a new tradition. One that I hope you'll help me with.<br /><br />I've scoured the Internet looking and finally finding a charity that I really believe in and I'm donating the money I would have spent on materialistic things, to them.<br /><br />It's the Ian Somerhalder Foundation or ISF. More info. can be found out about them at <a href="http://www.isfoundation.com/welcome" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />In honor of spreading the love, I'm also asking for your help (with incentive, of course. ;P). If you make a donation, ANY amount, please email me ( j.souders (at) jasouders (dot) com ) the address on my website and let me know.<br /><br />At the end of the month, I'll take the list of names and enter them into a contest to win a box full of books (including signed copies of my own and my favorite authors), a query and 50-page critique (if you're a writer), and a gift card for even more books. (Depending on how popular this is, I'll add in more prizes and possibly do a Grand prize, 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place award.)<br /><br />Every single person that makes a donation (and lets me know) will also have special mention in my next e-short in the Elysium Chronicles and exclusive SWAG sent to them as a special thank you from me for helping me support my favorite charity.J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-86417666979581882392013-11-04T10:18:00.001-05:002013-11-04T10:24:07.679-05:00REVELATIONS pre-order/release contest!Wow guys, can you believe that it's that time again?! I just can't believe my 2nd book is entering the wild tomorrow!!! My how time flies, right? LOL.<br /><br />I've been promising this contest for awhile so I'm just going to post it without to much hub bub, but here's the deets. I'm giving away a NOOK ereader and B&amp;N giftcard to go along with it.&nbsp; What do you have to do to get it? Easy-peasy. Just pre-order or buy your copy of REVELATIONS (clicke <a href="http://jasouders.com/revelations/" target="_blank">here</a> for a list of available places and info about REVELATIONS) by the end of November. Then email me at j.souders (at) jasouders (dot) com with a copy of the receipt.&nbsp; If you want bonus entries all you have to do is spread the word about REVELATIONS, this contest, and/or take a pic of your copy of REVELATIONS in the wild and email them to me. I'm actually really stoked about this one. I'll post the pics (with your permission) as they come in, so get creative. See Santa at the mall? Ask him to take a pic with REVELATIONS (my BFF/CP did this last year). See an awesome statue? Snap a pic of it with REVELATIONS. At the aquarium? See if you can get a pic with the book and a sea creature. :)&nbsp; I can't wait to see what you guys come up with. (P.S. ebook copies count! Just send a pic of your e-reader with the cover showing instead of the book copy.)<br /><br /><br />Happy November! Also, if you're in Florida, check out my facebook page for links to the information for my Orlando and Tampa launches.<br /><br />(P.S. Everyone who enters gets awesome super secret SWAG! :) ) <br /><br />&nbsp;<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a3fb0d19/" id="rc-a3fb0d19" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-74855822801420680562013-09-24T10:20:00.002-04:002013-09-24T10:20:58.838-04:00HOUSTON BOOKRAVE: After Party and Online Book SaleHey guys, I know I've been doing a lot of marketing for my books and it's probably getting annoying without some silly stuff in between, but I promise in a few weeks, I'll have some fun posts up so I'm not always talking about my books. :)&nbsp; Below is some information on the Houston Bookrave. I'm very excited about this event and wanted to help get the word out, so here's the post. :)&nbsp; But keep reading, because below the post about HBR, I have some information of my own about a REVELATIONS contest and the paperback copies of RENEGADE.<br /><br data-mce-bogus="1" /><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wSRzuL2Zn8c/UVXjlg1fWyI/AAAAAAAAHDI/HrEVhIzVT08/s1600/HBR+Banner.jpg" data-mce-style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wSRzuL2Zn8c/UVXjlg1fWyI/AAAAAAAAHDI/HrEVhIzVT08/s1600/HBR+Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wSRzuL2Zn8c/UVXjlg1fWyI/AAAAAAAAHDI/HrEVhIzVT08/s400/HBR+Banner.jpg" height="148" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wSRzuL2Zn8c/UVXjlg1fWyI/AAAAAAAAHDI/HrEVhIzVT08/s400/HBR+Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">HBR is one of the biggest book signing events happening in Houston,<br /> Texas.</span><br /><br /> <span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span data-mce-style="color: lime;" style="color: lime;">We have 62 authors attending!</span>&nbsp; </span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This<br /> event will be held Saturday, November 2, 2013 and will offer a unique<br /> experience where readers from everywhere can meet with their favorite authors<br /> in person. At this exciting event there will also be entertainment, exclusive<br /> giveaways, exclusive early book releases and delicious food that everyone can<br /> enjoy.</span><br /><br /> <span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Visit <a data-mce-href="http://www.houstonbookrave.com/" href="http://www.houstonbookrave.com/" target="_blank">HOUSTON BOOKRAVE</a> website for all the details.&nbsp;</span><br /> ***********************************</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AsPHTh3IA-c/UjmbdCnRPWI/AAAAAAAAIXg/ZtxqSGDnR6g/s1600/HBR+After+Partypng.png" data-mce-style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AsPHTh3IA-c/UjmbdCnRPWI/AAAAAAAAIXg/ZtxqSGDnR6g/s1600/HBR+After+Partypng.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AsPHTh3IA-c/UjmbdCnRPWI/AAAAAAAAIXg/ZtxqSGDnR6g/s400/HBR+After+Partypng.png" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AsPHTh3IA-c/UjmbdCnRPWI/AAAAAAAAIXg/ZtxqSGDnR6g/s400/HBR+After+Partypng.png" width="400" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE HBR AFTER PARTY!</div><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Please visit <a data-mce-href="http://houstonbookrave.blogspot.com/p/after-party.html" href="http://houstonbookrave.blogspot.com/p/after-party.html" target="_blank">HBR AFTER PARTY</a> page to get yours while they last.</div><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">***********************************</div><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are only a few days left to order signed books if you can't make the event.</div><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Go to <a data-mce-href="http://houstonbookrave.blogspot.com/p/on-line-book-sales.html" href="http://houstonbookrave.blogspot.com/p/on-line-book-sales.html" target="_blank">HBR ONLINE BOOK SALE</a> to get all the signed books you want from our featured authors.</div><div class="separator" data-mce-style="clear: both; text-align: center;" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSifYYhQP4c/Ujmb29mNP9I/AAAAAAAAIXo/9O78x-hRhVM/s1600/HBR+Online+SIGNED+Book+Sale+Poster2-sm.png" data-mce-style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSifYYhQP4c/Ujmb29mNP9I/AAAAAAAAIXo/9O78x-hRhVM/s1600/HBR+Online+SIGNED+Book+Sale+Poster2-sm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-mce-src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSifYYhQP4c/Ujmb29mNP9I/AAAAAAAAIXo/9O78x-hRhVM/s640/HBR+Online+SIGNED+Book+Sale+Poster2-sm.png" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSifYYhQP4c/Ujmb29mNP9I/AAAAAAAAIXo/9O78x-hRhVM/s640/HBR+Online+SIGNED+Book+Sale+Poster2-sm.png" width="386" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Just a quick note that the paperback copy of RENEGADE release October 8th. If you're local to the Orlando area, I'm trying to set up a small signing at my local indie to sign them. I'll list that on my events page and announce it here when I do. Also, in the beginning of October, I'll be holding a contest for everyone who pre-orders copies of REVELATIONS and one of the prizes will be a Nook, so make sure to keep those receipts! Anyway, more soon, so keep your eye on my blogs and social media accounts. :)</div></div>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-76124895516256882162013-03-07T14:09:00.001-05:002013-03-07T14:09:59.076-05:00Fan Art ContestBecause I absolutely adore fan art and I want to see what my awesome fans see when they think of Elysium and Evie and Gavin, not to mention the Enforcers and Mother, I’m putting out a call for fan art!&nbsp; I want it all: hand drawn (on anything from napkins to canvas), computer/digital manipulation, paint, sketches, modern, comic book styling. It doesn't just have to be "art" either. I'd love to see fan trailers, jewelry, songs, etc. Wherever your imagination takes you, do it (then send it to me.)!&nbsp; (Don’t go crazy insane though people. Make sure they’re work place and teen safe.&nbsp; PG-13. If you’re not sure, feel free to send them to me and I’ll let you know.)<br /><br />I’ll post them on the “fan art” page on my website (with credit to you, of course.) And I’ll feature some of my favorites on my blog in their own post. (P.S. If you'd rather not have it posted because you're shy, let me know, and I won't post it.)<br /><br />To sweeten the pot, I’m giving away a sweet prize to the top three winners.&nbsp; The grand prize winner will win an ARC of REVELATIONS (when available), the 2<sup>nd</sup>&nbsp; and 3<sup>rd</sup> place winners will win a gift card to Amazon/Barnes &amp; Noble.<br /><br />This contest is open internationally. Contest ends April 5<sup>th</sup>.<br /><br />&nbsp;To enter, email me with your entry (please make sure to send your fan art (or a picture of it) whatever it is with the email or it doesn't count to:&nbsp; j.souders(at) jasouders (dot) com<br /><br />And, as an FYI, if you’ve read and reviewed RENEGADE get those links ready. I’ll be hosting a reviewer appreciation giveaway soon. There is a lovely prize associated with it that I’ve had commissioned just for this occasion and I can’t wait for you guys to see it. I just want to get it in my hands before I announce what it is.J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-27429655546970652492013-02-22T12:11:00.000-05:002013-02-22T12:11:10.689-05:00Sunshine Tour Stops, Freebies, and Signed books. Oh my!Hi wonderful people! I hope everyone has had a chance to see the lovely new cover for REVELATIONS!&nbsp; If you haven't, make sure to check out <a data-mce-href="http://jasouders.com/revelations-cover-is-live/" href="http://jasouders.com/revelations-cover-is-live/">this post</a>. There's a list of blogs on that page that hosted my cover reveal and all of them have the rafflecopter widget to enter to win a bunch of signed books INCLUDING the ARC to REVELATIONS when it comes out.<br /><br />I'm superexcited to announce that the <a data-mce-href="http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/" href="http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/">Sunshine Tour</a> is coming to Orlando and Tampa/Clearwater.&nbsp; But WAIT! if you aren't in Florida or near these areas, keep reading, I promise it'll be worth it.<br /><br />Anyway, the<a data-mce-href="http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/p/the-sunshine-tour-orlando.html" href="http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/p/the-sunshine-tour-orlando.html"> Orlando stop</a> is going to March 2nd at the <a data-mce-href="http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2335" href="http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2335">Winter Garden Barnes and Noble.</a>&nbsp; We'll each be doing a short talk (panel form) and then signing our books. See flyer below for more information.<br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1xbncoPm6xnRnM5dUhkUHN3TkU/image?pagenumber=1&amp;w=800" height="400" src="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1xbncoPm6xnRnM5dUhkUHN3TkU/image?pagenumber=1&amp;w=800" width="309" /></div>The <a data-mce-href="http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/p/the-sunshine-tour-tampa.html" href="http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/p/the-sunshine-tour-tampa.html">Tampa/Clearwater</a> stop is going to be at the <a data-mce-href="http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2859" href="http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2859">Clearwater Barnes and Noble</a> (Flyer to come shortly). Again a short talk and then signing of our books.<br /><br />To tempt you all to come on out on what promises to be a really pretty weekend, I'm offering a bunch of goodies that you can only get at the signings.&nbsp; Among some special SWAG, I'll be giving away signed posters of the new REVELATIONS' cover and RENEGADE's cover and free e-copies of A DARK GRAVE (that will work on all e-readers).&nbsp; Also, possibly a sneak peak at the next Elysium Chronicles short story.<br /><br />And if you can't come, there's still an option to get signed copies of all the books from the authors on the tour.&nbsp; All you have to do is go <a data-mce-href="http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/2013/02/order-signed-books.html" href="http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/2013/02/order-signed-books.html">here</a> and fill out the form. More details at that link.<br />I'm so excited to be on this tour and I can't wait to see you at the stops!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-5861755133152798272013-02-18T11:41:00.000-05:002013-02-18T13:48:44.193-05:00Revelations' Cover Reveal!I can't believe that today's the day! It's so so surreal that I'm not focusing on RENEGADE any more.&nbsp; This time last year, I was worrying over how Renegade would do. Now it's REVELATIONS' turn.<br /><br />Wow. Just wow.<br /><br />Anyway, you want to see the cover not hear me complain about how fast time goes by. LOL.<br />I've been lucky enough to have a TON of extremely awesome bloggers help me with this cover reveal. And I owe them a HUGE debt of gratitude, especially Jaime Arnold from Two Chicks on Books. Thank you, Jaime! <3 nbsp="" p=""><br />&nbsp;Also, there's a contest to win some awesome hardcovers, so click the links to find out more info! It's pretty easy. :)<br /><br />Blogs revealing REVELATIONS' cover:<br /><br /><br /><!--3--><!--3--></3><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html" href="http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html">Two Chicks on Books</a></div><a data-mce-href="href=&quot;http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-and-giveaway-revelations.html&quot;&gt;" href="http://jasouders.com/wp-admin/href=%22http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-and-giveaway-revelations.html%22%3E">Bumbles and Fairytales</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://www.fiktshuns-ramblings.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-giveaway.html?spref=tw" href="http://www.fiktshuns-ramblings.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-giveaway.html?spref=tw">Fiktshun's Ramblings </a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://lizczukas.com/2013/02/18/revelations-cover-reveal-a-giveaway/" href="http://lizczukas.com/2013/02/18/revelations-cover-reveal-a-giveaway/">Liz Czukas</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://hauntedorchid.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html" href="http://hauntedorchid.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html">Haunted Orchid</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://booksasyouknowit.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja.html" href="http://booksasyouknowit.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja.html">Books As You Know It</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://www.magicalurbanfantasyreads.com/2013/02/revelations-by-ja-souders-cover-reveal.html" href="http://www.magicalurbanfantasyreads.com/2013/02/revelations-by-ja-souders-cover-reveal.html" title="Magical Urban Fantasy Reads">Magical Urban Fantasy Reads</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://www.thebooklife.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html" href="http://www.thebooklife.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html">The Book Life </a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://booksmystify.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-with-giveaway-revelation.html" href="http://booksmystify.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-with-giveaway-revelation.html">Books Mystify</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://burningximpossiblyxbright.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-renegade-2-by.html" href="http://burningximpossiblyxbright.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-renegade-2-by.html" target="_blank">Burning Impossibly Bright</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://tezmilleroz.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/j-a-souders-giveaway-and-revelations-cover-reveal/" href="http://tezmilleroz.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/j-a-souders-giveaway-and-revelations-cover-reveal/">Tez Says</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://akossiwaketoglo.com/2013/02/18/1900/" href="http://akossiwaketoglo.com/2013/02/18/1900/" target="_blank">Akossiwa Ketoglo </a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://www.the-dailybookmark.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-elysium.html" href="http://www.the-dailybookmark.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-elysium.html">The Daily Bookmark</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://mylibraryinthemaking.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-ja-souders.html" href="http://mylibraryinthemaking.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-ja-souders.html">My Library in the Making</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://adreamfrommyheart.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations.html" href="http://adreamfrommyheart.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations.html">A Dream From My Heart</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://dearrestlessreader.blogspot.com/2013/02/revelations-elysium-chronicles-2-cover.html" href="http://dearrestlessreader.blogspot.com/2013/02/revelations-elysium-chronicles-2-cover.html">Dear Restless Reader</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://yatopia.blogspot.com/" href="http://yatopia.blogspot.com/">YAtopia </a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://goldiloxandthethreeweres.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-and-giveaway-revelations.html" href="http://goldiloxandthethreeweres.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-and-giveaway-revelations.html">Goldilox and the Three Weres</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://ecstatic-for-books.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders_18.html" href="http://ecstatic-for-books.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders_18.html">MTG Reviews</a><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.oasisforya.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html" href="http://www.oasisforya.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html">Oasis for YA </a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://ecstatic-for-books.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders_18.html" href="http://ecstatic-for-books.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders_18.html">Ecstatic for Books</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://jana-thebookgoddess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/cover-reveal-and-giveaway-revelations.html" href="http://jana-thebookgoddess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/cover-reveal-and-giveaway-revelations.html">The Book Goddess</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://findingblissinbooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html" href="http://findingblissinbooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html">Finding Bliss in Books</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://readingunderthestars.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations.html" href="http://readingunderthestars.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations.html">Reading Under the Stars</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://jessie-harrell.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-and-contest.html" href="http://jessie-harrell.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-and-contest.html">The Daily Harrel</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://bookhavenextraordinaire.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-elysium-2.html" href="http://bookhavenextraordinaire.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-elysium-2.html">Book Haven</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://inlibrisveritas.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/cover-reveal-revelations-by-j-a-sounders/" href="http://inlibrisveritas.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/cover-reveal-revelations-by-j-a-sounders/">In Libris Veritas</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://curling-up-with-a-good-book.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-ja-souders.html" href="http://curling-up-with-a-good-book.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-ja-souders.html">Curling Up With a Good Book</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://shadow-libros.blogspot.mx/2013/02/portada-revelations-de-ja-souders_18.html?m=0" target="_blank">Shadow Libros</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.ca/2013/02/revelations-elysium-chronicles-book-2-j.html" href="http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.ca/2013/02/revelations-elysium-chronicles-book-2-j.html">Escaping...One Book at a Time</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.uniquelymoibooks.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html" href="http://www.uniquelymoibooks.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html">Uniquely Moi Books</a></div><a data-mce-href="http://citrusreads.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations.html" href="http://citrusreads.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations.html">Citrus Reads</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://www.writingmyownfairytale.com/2013/02/18/cover-reveal-revelations-the-elysium-chronicles-2-by-j-a-souders/" href="http://www.writingmyownfairytale.com/2013/02/18/cover-reveal-revelations-the-elysium-chronicles-2-by-j-a-souders/">Writing My Own Fairytale</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://www.mybookishfairytale.blogspot.ca/2013/02/cover-reveal-giveaway-revelations-by-ja.html" href="http://www.mybookishfairytale.blogspot.ca/2013/02/cover-reveal-giveaway-revelations-by-ja.html">My Bookish Fairytale</a><br /><a data-mce-href="http://www.lchardesty.blogspot.com/2013/02/revelations-cover-reveal.html" href="http://www.lchardesty.blogspot.com/2013/02/revelations-cover-reveal.html">Larissa's World</a><br /><a href="http://mystorywithyouandher.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-canary-giveaway-revelations.html" target="_blank">Bookcase to Heaven</a><br /><a href="http://lovesbooksreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations-by-ja-souders.html" target="_blank">Stuck in YA</a><br /><a href="http://writersally.blogspot.com/2013/02/mg-book-spotlight-cracking-code.html#more" target="_blank">Writer's Ally</a><br /><a href="http://howlingturtle-pdx.blogspot.com/2013/02/cover-reveal-revelations.html" target="_blank">Howling Turtle</a><br /><br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><!--3--><!--3-->J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-31312413345719561952013-02-14T14:08:00.001-05:002013-02-14T14:08:24.735-05:00Elysium Chronicle's Valentine's Short Story and A DARK GRAVE FREE today.As surprise number 2 for Valentine's Day, I've written a quick short about the first time Evelyn met Timothy.&nbsp; I wanted to give fans a special treat that wasn't spoilerific and I love Timothy, so I wanted people to see a bit more of him. If you've read RENEGADE, then you know why I say that... Anyway, I wanted to write something that doesn't spoil RENEGADE for those that didn't read it. This scene is EXTREMELY rough, but I hope you'll enjoy it all the same.&nbsp; HAPPY Valentine's day!<br /><blockquote>&nbsp;My Maid laces the ties in the back of my pink dress. I don’t really like the color pink, but Mother insists to wear it today. It’s Valentine’s Day and purple just won’t do.&nbsp; She’s wearing red for the occasion, but she can. She’s Coupled.</blockquote><br /><blockquote>I glance over to her. She’s standing next to my bed, flipping through the papers in her hand and mumbling. And even though she’s obviously upset by whatever she’s reading, she’s beautiful as always.&nbsp; Her blond hair is down and brushes her shoulders in soft waves. Her eyes are especially blue today and her skin has the perfect dewy look to it that I envy.&nbsp; The lights outside my window cause the water to lay a wavy shadow over her face.</blockquote><br /><blockquote>I gasp when the Maid pulls the ties too tight, then hiss out a breath when Mother glances my way over the top of her papers.&nbsp; She purses her lips. “Now, now, Evelyn. Stop squirming. You’re not a child any longer.”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>I straighten my back and try not to let it bother me that I can’t really breathe. “Yes, Mother.”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>She watches me carefully, her eyes narrowed before she turns to the Maid pulling little pots and brushes from a case. “Darken her eyes and lips.&nbsp; She’s of age now. She needs a more mature look.”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>“Yes, Mother,” the Maid says and starts working on my face.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>A few minutes later, Mother’s lady’s Maid pokes her head. “The guests have arrived, Ma’am.”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>Mother smiles and waves the woman away and turns to me. “Meet me in the ballroom when you’re finished. I have a gift for you.”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>My stomach churns in anticipation, but I only smile my acknowledgement.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>Ten minutes later, my hair in an intricate up-do that has my curls in a riot over the top of my head. The symbol of my rank sits on top of them like a tiara.&nbsp; My rose necklace rests in the hollow of my throat and I run my fingers over it nervously.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>I stand outside the ballroom, my heart in my throat. This is my first event after coming of age. I’ll be expected to entertain the Suitors Mother invited. I’ve practiced and practiced what I’m to say and when and to whom, but I’m terrified my condition will act up and they’ll realize how strange I am.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>The room is decorated in pink and red hearts and the cupids that are so synonymous with the holiday.&nbsp; Pink and red streamers crisscross the ballroom and the chandeliers sparkle like diamonds. The roses from my garden are on each of the tables lining the wall and their smell drifts to my nose calming me.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>I step through the doors and the Guards nod at me as I pass through. My plan is to go straight to the hors d’oeuvre table. The petit fours are so cute with their pink and red frosting and shaped into tiny hearts. But Mother sees me instantly and waves me over. She’s standing next to a fairly tall couple. They’re both taller than Mother, which definitely makes them taller than me.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>They both smile when I step up to them. I return it with one of my own.<br />Mother introduces them as Scientists from Sector Three. I curtsy. “It’s wonderful to meet you. I’ve always had a fascination with Sector Three,” I say as I was trained. It’s true. I’ve always been fascinated by the new things that the Scientists come up with. So it comes out with an excited appearance that I don’t have to fake.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>The woman starts talking, but I stop paying attention. Coming up behind them, his hands carrying two plates of hors d’oeuvres, is a young man my age. At least I think he is.&nbsp; He’s just as tall as the man in front of me, and despite the fact that almost everyone in Elysium looks the same, he looks remarkably like the couple.&nbsp; His eyes are the same light blue and, when he stops behind the woman, he holds himself just like the man.&nbsp; His dark blond hair—the same color as the woman’s-- is slightly longer than usual and has dripped into his eyes. I know it’s wrong, but I have the sudden urge to brush it away. And I can’t stop myself from staring.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>“Evelyn?”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>I start and blink quickly, trying to pull my attention from the boy to Mother. From the slightly frustration in her tone, it sounds like this wasn’t the first time she’d said my name.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>“Yes, Mother?”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>She purses her lips, but only says, “I was introducing you to Timothy.” She flutters her hand toward the young man. “He’s the Whitworth’s son. He’s just passed Suitor exam.”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>The young man bows. “It’ll be a pleasure to be one of your Suitor’s, Miss Evelyn.”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>Our eyes lock together and my belly flops around as I stare at him. <i>He’s </i>my Suitor? I’d be lying if I didn’t say the thought pleases me.&nbsp; He’s perfect, I think, giving him the once over. Tall. Gorgeous. Perfect. I repeat in my head.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>His lips--perfectly symmetrical lips, I notice--lift in the corners to smile at me. It’s not hard to see he’s amused at me. I bite my bottom lip, and turn, my face burning in embarrassment at being caught staring.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>“Evelyn!” Mother hisses.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>With an inward wince, I force myself into another curtsey. “My pleasure, Sir,” I say.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>Mother narrows her eyes at me, her reprimand clear. “Why don’t you too, get to know each other, while I talk business with the Whitworths’.”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>The band switches to a waltz and he offers his arm. “Would you care for a dance?”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>Instead of answering, I take his elbow with my gloved hand, allowing him to lead me to the dance floor.&nbsp; Even though we’re careful not to touch skin-to skin--Un-Coupled peoples aren’t allowed to touch skin-to-skin--we lean close to each other so we can hear each other as we talk.<br />He smells like a mix of oil from Sector Three and soap. It’s an interesting and nerve wracking mix. I never would have thought I’d enjoy the smell of oil and soap on someone so much. We spend the entire night talking and even when another Suitor cuts in, it isn’t long before I find myself dancing with Timothy again. Each time we join each other in another dance, he holds me in a slightly tighter embrace. Never too much. Never enough for the Enforcers to notice, but some part of me—the part that’s obviously lost her mind—wants him to take me in his arms and hold me close. Place his lips against mine in a kiss. But he never does, which is just as well. It’d be suicide if he did.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>But each time one of those other Suitors comes, Timothy looks like he’s going to argue. And as foolish as I know it is, I can’t help but feel excited about the prospect that he doesn’t want to share me.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>Finally at the end of the night, exhausted with my legs and head aching, I smile as he says goodnight, bowing, then watch as he leaves a mixture of emotions flowing through my blood.<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>Mother joins me almost the instant he’s out of sight. “What do you think, Evelyn?”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>I smile, thinking of how perfect his hands felt in my gloved ones. “I think I would be honored to have him for a Suitor.”<br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote>Mother smiles at me, running her hands over the curls on my head and staring in the direction Timothy left in. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Evelyn.”<br /></blockquote><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">In case you didn't know, surprise number 1 is that A DARK GRAVE (Gavin's short story) is free today and tomorrow. If you want to give me a Valentine's gift in return, I'd love to get it under 100 on the free kindle store, so please feel free to share the link with <em>everyone</em>.&nbsp; :)</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AT8F0J4?ie=UTF8&amp;force-full-site=1&amp;ref_=aw_bottom_links" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AT8F0J4?ie=UTF8&amp;force-full-site=1&amp;ref_=aw_bottom_links">A DARK GRAVE</a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">BTW, for those that have been asking, A DARK GRAVE is not on anything other than Kindle right now. I do apologize for the inconvenience of that, but stay tuned because that <em>may</em> change.</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">I do have a few more surprises planned for today, so stay tuned, 'K?</div>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-249401493996508672012-12-31T10:24:00.001-05:002012-12-31T10:24:32.885-05:00Happy New Year's and a FREE ebook<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://harmamae.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/10755418-happy-new-year-2012-2.jpg?w=300&amp;h=200" height="200" src="http://harmamae.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/10755418-happy-new-year-2012-2.jpg?w=300&amp;h=200" title="Goodbye 2012" width="300" /></div><br />Well, today, sadly, marks the end of my debut year! It's been a roller coaster ride of awesome and I'm both sad and relieved to see it end.&nbsp; I'm so grateful for every single one of you who made this year as awesome as it could be and I can't wait to ride the hopefully as fantabulous, but slightly less hectic sophomore year roller coaster.<br /><br />Yes, for those that have been asking, there will be a second book to the Elysium Chronicles.&nbsp; I can't say too much about it, but I'm busily working on edits for it and I know the cover designer is working just as hard to bring you an even more gorgeous cover.&nbsp;&nbsp; I've been in discussions with my editor about the cover and I'm extremely excited to see how it all turns out.&nbsp; And yes, there is a title and I LOVE IT, but I&nbsp; don't think I'm allowed to share it yet, so I guess we're just going to have to patiently (*snort*) wait.&nbsp; :P<br /><br />And now onto the best part of this post. A DARK GRAVE (Gavin's short story prequel) is FREE today and tomorrow to celebrate the New Year! Just click <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AT8F0J4/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=center-2&amp;pf_rd_r=0XHHF3BRAM362QKD315N&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_p=1389517282&amp;pf_rd_i=507846" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AT8F0J4/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=center-2&amp;pf_rd_r=0XHHF3BRAM362QKD315N&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_p=1389517282&amp;pf_rd_i=507846">here</a> to go to the Amazon download page.<br /><br />So here's to the ending of 2012 and the beginning of an even better 2013!&nbsp; <img alt="" class="alignnone" data-mce-src="http://www.visitflorida.com/images/photos/expert_photos/1322847310_champagne.jpg" height="403" src="http://www.visitflorida.com/images/photos/expert_photos/1322847310_champagne.jpg" title="Champagne" width="440" />J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-41424804771066912332012-12-26T16:40:00.004-05:002012-12-26T16:44:44.164-05:00A DARK GRAVE now available!I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas.&nbsp; Can you believe it's almost 2013?! I can't. This year has just flown by! It's been filled with some awesome times and I'm so sad it's coming to an end, but 2013 looks like it'll be even more awesome and I can't wait to see what it brings.<br /><br />A few housekeeping details and then I'll get to the reason for this post. First, while I'm taking a minor break from my internet hiatus to post this, I'm actually away from my "office" until January 7th. I won't be answering emails or be on twitter or facebook until then. Although I reserve the right to change my mind before then. :P<br /><br />That being said,&nbsp; I'll be starting the new year with a bang and doing a lot of events. At least one a month. January has three already lined up! Why so many? I'm excited to say I'll be participating in The Sunshine Tour with at least 10 other YA authors! For more details, check out the <a data-mce-href=" http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/" href="http://thesunshinebooktour.blogspot.com/">Sunshine Tour'</a>s site. And&nbsp; keep an eye on my events page. And I'll be participating in several conferences that I'm extremely excited about, those are of course listed on my events page.<br /><br />Here's the beautiful cover art done by the fabulous <a data-mce-href="http://www.nianluain.com/Welcome.html" href="http://www.nianluain.com/Welcome.html">Eithne O'Hanlon</a>, the same artist who did the cover for RENEGADE!<br /><br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ADarkGrave_c3.jpg" href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ADarkGrave_c3.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-639" data-mce-src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ADarkGrave_c3.jpg" height="640" src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ADarkGrave_c3.jpg" title="ADarkGrave_c3" width="480" /></a></div><br />And here's the blurb:<br /><br /><div><div id="outer_postBodyPS"><blockquote><div id="postBodyPS">An Elysium Chronicles short story: the beginning.There is only one place forbidden to the people of Gavin's village; the island just off the shore, rumored to be haunted. Cursed.All who venture to the island disappear.But Gavin doesn't believe in such things. He is a hunter; since his father's death, he is the only one who can provide for the family. Silly rumors of ghosts aren't going to stop him from crossing the dark waters to the island in search of fresh game...</div></blockquote></div></div><br />It's <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Dark-Grave-ebook/dp/B00AT8F0J4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1356541595&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=a+dark+grave" href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Dark-Grave-ebook/dp/B00AT8F0J4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1356541595&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=a+dark+grave">available on kindle now</a> for only $0.99 (FREE if you're a Prime member), but I'll be having an after Christmas/New Year's special where it'll be free on New Year's eve and New Years day.<br /><br />I hope you all enjoy Gavin's story and have a great New Year's!J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-24901922122292260992012-11-13T10:20:00.001-05:002012-11-13T10:20:43.613-05:00Renegade launch is here! + Giveaway<img alt="" class="alignnone" data-mce-src="http://www.polygonblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/balloons-clip-art.jpg" height="293" src="http://www.polygonblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/balloons-clip-art.jpg" title="balloons" width="448" /><br /><br /><br />I'm so excited to say that RENEGADE's launch is finally HERE! I'm so excited I can't sit still!&nbsp; If I could dance, I'd be dancing!<br />Thank you so much to everyone who's made this day possible, including my lovely and awesome agent, Natalie Lakosil, and my equally lovely and awesome editor, Mel Frain.&nbsp; Love you ladies!&nbsp; Thanks for believing in me and making Renegade even more awesome.<br />I honestly don't know what to say here...I'm so excited and happy that I'm speechless, so I'll just say thanks again to everyone. *sniffles* and now I'm going to go have a good cry and stare at my books some more!<br />Oh! Before I go, I'm having a giveaway. Send me a picture (via email or twitter) of my book in an awesome spot to celebrate it's awesomeness. ; )&nbsp; And I'll have a random drawing to win either a book of your choice or a gift card from amazon or barnes and noble. Plus some awesome Rengade SWAG.<br /> If you're looking for an example, here's a pic my MIL took. <img alt="" class="alignnone" data-mce-src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/601451_4063635463240_2020839815_n.jpg" height="461" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/601451_4063635463240_2020839815_n.jpg" title="Renegade at the Olympics" width="461" /><br />This is exactly the awesomeness I'm looking for, so get to it! :) *chop, chop*<br /><br />If you want to know where to buy RENEGADE, it's available wherever books are sold, but here's some quick links:<br /><a data-mce-href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765332455" href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765332455" title="Renegade at IndieBound">IndieBound</a><br /> <a data-mce-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/renegade-ja-souders/1109152281?ean=9780765332455&amp;itm=1&amp;usri=j.a.souders" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/renegade-ja-souders/1109152281?ean=9780765332455&amp;itm=1&amp;usri=j.a.souders" title="Renegade at Barnes and Noble">Barnes And Noble</a><br /> <a data-mce-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Renegade-Souders/9780765332455" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Renegade-Souders/9780765332455" title="Renegade at the Book Depository">Book Depository</a><br /> <a data-mce-href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Renegade/J-a-Souders/9780765332455?id=5336667088295" href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Renegade/J-a-Souders/9780765332455?id=5336667088295" title="Renegade at Books-A-Million">Books-A-Million</a><br /> <a data-mce-href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780765332455-0" href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780765332455-0" title="Renegade at Powell's">Powell’s</a><br /> <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Renegade-Elysium-Chronicles-J-A-Souders/dp/0765332450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333666962&amp;sr=8-1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Renegade-Elysium-Chronicles-J-A-Souders/dp/0765332450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333666962&amp;sr=8-1" title="Renegade at Amazon">Amazon</a>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-50958150236981397512012-11-08T09:51:00.002-05:002012-11-08T09:51:31.346-05:005 Days until Renegade Surfaces!It's five days. DAYS, people, not weeks, months, years. DAYS! Until Renegade's debut. And...I'm slightly freaking out. (*insert insane cackle here*)&nbsp; Okay maybe more than slightly. But I've somehow managed despite many obstacles to put together a launch party.&nbsp; Yay for me!&nbsp; I'm so excited about this book that I wanted to throw a party to celebrate.<br />&nbsp;If you're interested, take a peak at the below invite (isn't it pretty?!) and, if you want RSVP to either by email or on the f<a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/events/366324680124154/" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/366324680124154/">acebook invite page</a>.&nbsp; This is just so I can make sure there's enough food and books there.<br /><br />It's in the building that inspired Sector 3, so I'm really excited to show it off a bit. So bring a friend, or friends, or a whole shipful of people if you wish.&nbsp; The more the merrier.&nbsp; There's going to be lots of food, drinks, a reading, raffle, door prizes, and a signing.&nbsp; Plus a bucket full of SWAG to giveaway.&nbsp; But most importantly there's going to be lots of fun!<br /><br />So if you're in the area, just stopping through, or planning an invasion, stop on by! I'd love to meet you and see you!<br /><br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/lp.aspx_1.jpg" href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/lp.aspx_1.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-589" data-mce-src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/lp.aspx_1-663x1024.jpg" height="655" src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/lp.aspx_1-663x1024.jpg" title="lp.aspx" width="424" /></a></div>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-75268483101064705182012-10-22T08:41:00.002-04:002012-10-22T08:41:53.753-04:00YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"><i><b><span data-mce-style="font-size: x-large;" style="font-size: large;"><a data-mce-href="http://ginadamico.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/yamazing-race.png?w=640" href="http://ginadamico.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/yamazing-race.png?w=640"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://ginadamico.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/yamazing-race.png?w=640" data-mce-style="border: 0px none;" height="152" src="http://ginadamico.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/yamazing-race.png?w=640" style="border: 0px none;" width="320" /></a></span></b></i></span></div><br />&nbsp;Whoot! It's that time again. Time for the 3rd YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes! In case you weren't here for the first or second race, it's a blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors, and prize packs that include ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and more! If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, please click <a data-mce-href="http://apocalypsies.blogspot.com" href="http://apocalypsies.blogspot.com/">here</a> to start from the beginning and read the complete rules.<br /><h3><span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;">&nbsp;*NOTE: Race doesn't officially start until noon EST, so hold your horses for just a minute before using the widget below. Entries entered before the start of the race won't count. :(*</span></h3><h3><span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;">*Also, please note that THIS post here is just a syndicated post from the one <a href="http://jasouders.com/yamazing-race-with-mgnificient-prizes/" target="_blank">here</a>. Comments won't count unless they're over there, because I don't check my comments over here anymore.*</span></h3>Welcome to my stop! Now on to the race!<br /><br /><a data-mce-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468074-renegade" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468074-renegade">RENEGADE</a> by J.A. Souders<br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DU9NAn50Flo/T56yjwiN7oI/AAAAAAAAAfs/XknlQO3LrR0/s1600/RenegadeHiRes.jpg" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DU9NAn50Flo/T56yjwiN7oI/AAAAAAAAAfs/XknlQO3LrR0/s1600/RenegadeHiRes.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DU9NAn50Flo/T56yjwiN7oI/AAAAAAAAAfs/XknlQO3LrR0/s320/RenegadeHiRes.jpg" data-mce-style="border: 0px none;" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DU9NAn50Flo/T56yjwiN7oI/AAAAAAAAAfs/XknlQO3LrR0/s320/RenegadeHiRes.jpg" style="border: 0px none;" width="220" /></a></div><br /><blockquote><span id="freeText29817814148575845">Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.</span><br />But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.</blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><br /><span id="freeText29817814148575845">Her memories have been altered.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span id="freeText29817814148575845">Her mind and body aren’t under her own control.</span><br /><br /><span id="freeText29817814148575845">And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.</span><br />Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.<br />Be sure to preorder your copy of RENEGADE today (<a data-mce-href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765332455" href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765332455">IndieBound</a><a data-mce-href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/renegade-ja-souders/1109152281?ean=9780765332455&amp;itm=1&amp;usri=j.a.souders" href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/renegade-ja-souders/1109152281?ean=9780765332455&amp;itm=1&amp;usri=j.a.souders">, Barnes And Noble</a><a data-mce-href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Renegade-Souders/9780765332455" href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Renegade-Souders/9780765332455">, Book Depository</a><a data-mce-href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Renegade/J-a-Souders/9780765332455?id=5336667088295" href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Renegade/J-a-Souders/9780765332455?id=5336667088295">, Books-A-Million</a><a data-mce-href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780765332455-0" href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780765332455-0">, Powell's</a><a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Renegade-Elysium-Chronicles-J-A-Souders/dp/0765332450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333666962&amp;sr=8-1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Renegade-Elysium-Chronicles-J-A-Souders/dp/0765332450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333666962&amp;sr=8-1">, Amazon</a> )</blockquote></blockquote><br />Got all that?<br /><br />Great!&nbsp;&nbsp; You’ll need remember it for the quiz ahead! And don't forget, you must complete ALL FIVE quizzes to be eligible for a prize pack.<br /><br />But, wait! I have another giveaway for you!<br /><br />Want a 2nd chance to win a pre-order of my book?<br /><br />Just tell me what's the most dangerous thing you've done in the comments and don't forget to add your email addy (see rafflecopter.)<br /><br />Bonus points:<br /><ul><li>like on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/JASouders" href="https://www.facebook.com/JASouders">Facebook</a></li><li>follow on <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/#%21/jasouders" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/jasouders">Twitter</a></li><li>follow this blog</li></ul>This contest is open internationally.<br /><b>Thanks for stopping by. Ready to move on?</b><br /><br />Click <a data-mce-href="http://kimberlysabatini.com/blog/2012/10/the-last-yamazing-race-of-2012/" href="http://kimberlysabatini.com/blog/2012/10/the-last-yamazing-race-of-2012/">HERE</a> to go to the next stop on the race!<br /><a class="rafl" data-mce-href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a3fb0d13/" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a3fb0d13/" id="rc-a3fb0d13" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-17900846094765451622012-10-18T16:05:00.000-04:002012-10-18T16:07:27.586-04:00The Elsyium Underground is LIVE and looking for recruits.I'm so excited to announce that my street team, The Elysium Underground, is live and looking for recruits! <br /><h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;">What exactly is a street team and what do I have to do?</span></h3>A street team is basically just another way for me to get word out about my book.&nbsp; Similar to Gretchen McNeil's Army of Ten (don't worry, I checked with her first. :) ) I'm offering prizes for spreading the word about my book.&nbsp; I'm using a rankings system, but instead of me giving you a task to do, I'm offering a "bounty" for each task you do.&nbsp; The "bounty" is just a certain number of points. And each rank is obtained by earning a certain number of points.<br /><h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;">What's in it for me?</span></h3>A lot actually. Each ranking earns different swag including buttons, bookmarks, magnets, etc and a certain number of entries to be earned toward a HUGE monthly prize.&nbsp; On top of that, the top two ranks earn a chance to have a character named after you and/or a chance to be named in my acknowledgement section.<br /><h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;">I want more information.</span></h3>Great! Go <a data-mce-href="www.elysiumunderground.blogspot.com" href="http://elysiumunderground.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a> and everything should be explained, but if you still have questions, feel free to email me and I'll answer them ASAP. :)&nbsp; J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-68281092260287488892012-10-17T09:57:00.004-04:002012-10-17T09:57:26.458-04:00First blog tour started yesterday!RENEGADE is officially in the final run to its US release! There's less than a month left. So, I'm so excited to say that my first blog tour sponsored by The Book Paparrazzi starts today with a kick off post by Evelyn's best friend, Macie, over at <a data-mce-href="http://read-a-holicz.blogspot.com/2012/10/blog-tour-renegade-by-ja-souders-review.html" href="http://read-a-holicz.blogspot.com/2012/10/blog-tour-renegade-by-ja-souders-review.html">Read-a-holicz</a> blog.&nbsp; This blog tour will run from today October 16th-November 9th. Following that will be another blog tour sponsored by the ever awesome Mundie Moms!<br /><br />See below for a list of all the happenings for blog tour 1 and where to go to catch all the awesomeness. And don't forget to check them all out for a chance to win a copy of RENEGADE.<br /><br />P.S. If you entered my contest to win an ARC, check <a data-mce-href="http://jasouders.com/new-website-is-live/" href="http://jasouders.com/new-website-is-live/">that post </a>to see if you won. If you did email me at j.souders (@) jasouders(dot) com with your name and&nbsp; address.<br /><br /><br />October 16 -- <a data-mce-href="http://read-a-holicz.blogspot.com/2012/10/blog-tour-renegade-by-ja-souders-review.html" href="http://read-a-holicz.blogspot.com/2012/10/blog-tour-renegade-by-ja-souders-review.html" target="_blank">Read-A Holicz</a> -- Character Guest post, review and an ARC giveaway<br />October 17 -- <a data-mce-href="http://clairelouisereads.blogspot.com/2012/10/author-spotlight-ja-souders.html" href="http://clairelouisereads.blogspot.com/2012/10/author-spotlight-ja-souders.html" target="_blank">Claire Reads</a> -- promo post<br />October 18 -- Gypsy Book Reviews -- Guest post<br />October 19 -- Claire Reads -- review<br />October 20 -- Wake up At Seven<br />October 21 -- Nawanda Files<br />October 22 --&nbsp; Chocolate Coated Reviews<br />October 23 -- Sparkles and Lightning<br />October 24 -- Two Chicks on Books<br />October 25 -- Chapter by Chapter<br />October 26 -- Singing and Reading in the Rain<br />October 27 -- Debz Bookshelf<br />October 28 --&nbsp; The Daily Harrell<br />October 29 -- Xpresso Reads<br />October 30 -- I Love Teen Books<br />October 31 -- Bokie's Book Reviews<br />November 1 -- Reader of Fictions<br />November 2 -- YA Sisterhood<br />November 3 -- Citrus Reads<br />November 4 -- Larissa's World<br />November 5 -- YA Know<br />November 7 -- A Backward's Story<br />November 8 -- The Book Goddess<br />November 9 -- Fiction Freak<br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mceItemTable" style="width: 8px;"><tbody><tr><td align="right" height="14" width="53">&nbsp;</td><td width="179">&nbsp;</td><td width="243">&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td align="right" height="14">&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td><td>&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-80793628460093868542012-10-09T10:22:00.001-04:002012-10-09T10:22:18.534-04:00Happy book birthdayHappy book birthday to the following awesome authors and their spectacular books!<br /><h3><a data-mce-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11115457-time-between-us" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11115457-time-between-us" target="new">TIME BETWEEN US</a>&nbsp;by Tamara Ireland Stone (Disney*Hyperion)</h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://un-requiredreading.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/Book_cover_large/142315956X.jpg" height="360" src="http://un-requiredreading.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/Book_cover_large/142315956X.jpg" title="Time Between Us cover art" width="240" /></div><blockquote>Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.<br />As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.<br />Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction.<br />"A beautifully written, unique love story." -- Melissa Marr, New York Times best-selling author of The Wicked Lovely series<br />“A warm, time-bending romance… [that] will have readers rooting for the couple that keeps daring fate.” -- Publishers Weekly<br />"Time Between Us is the very best kind of love story -- heart-pounding, intense, and unputdownable!" -- Elizabeth Scott, author of Bloom and Perfect You<br />"The story will hold readers with its twists and turns, present and future; its love, sadness, and anger; and especially, its surprising secrets." -- Booklist</blockquote><h3><a data-mce-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12819342-what-happens-next" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12819342-what-happens-next" target="new">WHAT HAPPENS NEXT</a> by Colleen Clayton (Poppy)</h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://www.colleenclayton.com/wp-content/themes/colleen2/images/whncover.jpg" height="306" src="http://www.colleenclayton.com/wp-content/themes/colleen2/images/whncover.jpg" title="What Happens Next cover art" width="201" /></div><blockquote>How can you talk about something you can’t remember?<br />Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.<br />Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.<br />witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.</blockquote><h3><a data-mce-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10853822-velveteen" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10853822-velveteen" target="new">VELVETEEN</a> by Daniel Marks (Delacorte)</h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3oj7WC6szg/UCCNhXRh8iI/AAAAAAAAALM/PHD1iPFVXs8/s1600/7457873458_1fc36b5298_m.jpg" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3oj7WC6szg/UCCNhXRh8iI/AAAAAAAAALM/PHD1iPFVXs8/s1600/7457873458_1fc36b5298_m.jpg" title="Velveteen Cover art" width="159" /></div><blockquote>Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.<br />The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.<br />Bonesaw.<br />Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.<br />It’ll be brutal... and awesome.<br />But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.<br />Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.<br /> <strong><br /> </strong></blockquote>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-27826713158833271622012-10-08T13:26:00.005-04:002012-10-08T13:29:26.089-04:00The awesomeness that is awesome.Oh my gosh you guys! I am in a complete amount of shock right now.&nbsp; I just can't believe the awesomeness that is awesome that happened over the weekend!&nbsp; In case you are wondering, yes, <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/jasouders/status/254417939346907136" href="https://twitter.com/jasouders/status/254417939346907136">this is the thing I was freaking out about on Friday night</a>. :)<br />They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let the picture speak for itself (you can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger)!<br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch.png" href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-532" data-mce-src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch-1024x640.png" height="200" src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch-1024x640.png" title="skitch_iphoto.export.skitch" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Why, yes, that IS the kindle version of German RENEGADE: TIEFENRAUSCH at #83 in the children and teen book section and #1, 369 of ALL the books in the kindle store! Thank you for asking! :P And look!<br /><div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter"> <dl class="wp-caption aligncenter" data-mce-style="width: 829px;" id="attachment_533" style="width: 829px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"></dt><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a data-mce-href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch1.png" href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch1.png"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-533 " data-mce-src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch1-1024x640.png" height="200" src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch1-1024x640.png" title="skitch_iphoto.export.skitch" width="320" /></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd">83, BABY!</dd></dl></div>In case you're wondering, the hardcover has had some awesomeness happening, too, (it's numbers haven't been to far from this either) but I HAD to share this. The kindle version was #83!!!! I just...I just...I can't express how this makes me feel. As my CP tells me, this is epic and I'm astounded. I couldn't be happier, but I'm also repeatedly pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming!<br />I just want to send a HUGE thank you to the awesome people at IVI Piper for absolutely everything you've been doing for Renegade.&nbsp; And, of course, to everyone who's bought and reviewed and spread the word about it.<br />And, of course, the free e-book prequel--<a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.de/Ein-dunkles-Grab-Kurzgeschichte-ebook/dp/B009DHBBVS/ref=pd_cp_kinc_0/279-1978576-8458219" href="http://www.amazon.de/Ein-dunkles-Grab-Kurzgeschichte-ebook/dp/B009DHBBVS/ref=pd_cp_kinc_0/279-1978576-8458219">A DARK GRAVE</a>--featuring Gavin's story has had it's share of awesome! (Grab it if you haven't. It's great if I do say so myself. :) )<br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch2.png" href="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch2.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-534" data-mce-src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch2-1024x640.png" height="200" src="http://jasouders.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch2-1024x640.png" title="skitch_iphoto.export.skitch" width="320" /></a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">You all, I'm seriously in tears right now typing this and I can't thank you enough for any of it.&nbsp; Thank you SO so so much.</div>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-64867984852642237722012-10-05T15:13:00.000-04:002012-10-05T15:13:01.699-04:00Fish Friday is BACK!It's FISH FRIDAY! And have I got an interesting one for you!&nbsp; And is for all those women looking for a man to do more of the child rearing in their house? Take a look at this one. <br /><br /><img alt="" class="alignnone" data-mce-src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lc66pxgkUH1qct5mfo1_500.jpg" height="337" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lc66pxgkUH1qct5mfo1_500.jpg" title="Male Jawfish" width="461" /><br /><br />This interesting little guy is the male jawfish.&nbsp; And yes those are eggs in his mouth, but no he's not eating them. He's actually playing babysitter!&nbsp; And this is so common for this fish, they're called mouth breeders or mouth brooders!&nbsp; Of course, when I first read this I couldn't help but think of Sue Sylvester in Glee shouting at the "mouth BREATHERS", but still. :)<br /><br />While there are many different fish that are considered mouth-brooders, in this particular species it's the male that does the brooding.&nbsp; After the male fertilizes the eggs, he'll collect them in his mouth and holds onto them until they hatch. Some say he never lets the eggs go, not even to eat. But others say he hides them carefully in his burrow, and then goes out to eat, before piling them back in.&nbsp; But either way he'll aerate them (that's why we can see them in the picture.), but otherwise he keeps his lips zipped until they hatch. Which probably makes his mate extremely happy that he can't demand the burrow cleaned and food on the table all the time. ; )<br />J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-73238608596052835962012-10-04T10:28:00.000-04:002012-10-04T10:28:45.107-04:00Good news, congratulations, and awesomenessSo...a few weeks ago, I was all blabbering on twitter about some awesome news I couldn't share yet. But I can now! It's not my news, but that doesn't make it any less awesome, especially when the good news is for my bestest bestie and fabulous crit. partner, <a data-mce-href="http://lizczukas.com/" href="http://lizczukas.com/">Liz Czukas</a>.<br /><br />What is this most awesome news? Her debut YA novel, ASK AGAIN LATER, sold to Harper Collins! It will be out in the very beginning of 2014!&nbsp; Her new editor is the same editor for the fabulous authors Kiersten White, Kiera Cass, and Aprilynne Pike!&nbsp; And let me tell you, I've read this awesome book and I'm not surprised Erica loved it so much. I ADORED this book. It's probably one of the best books I've read this year.<br /><br />I'm SO, so, so excited for her. I couldn't be more excited for her if I tried. To show it, I'm asking everyone to go tell her how awesome she is, fan her <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/lizczukaswriter" href="https://www.facebook.com/lizczukaswriter">FB page</a>, and follow her on her <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/lizczukas" href="https://twitter.com/lizczukas">twitter</a>.J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-87253357307327074562012-10-02T15:09:00.002-04:002012-10-02T15:09:14.347-04:00Happy Book BirthdayToday's post is filled with the wonderful scent of new book smell!&nbsp; There are a TON of awesome new releases that I can't wait to share with you! So instead of blathering on I'll just wish a Happy Book Birthday to the following sweet authors and their books:<br /><br /><h3><a data-mce-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10512887-through-to-you" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10512887-through-to-you" target="_blank">THROUGH TO YOU</a>&nbsp;by <a data-mce-href="http://www.emilyhainsworth.com/" href="http://www.emilyhainsworth.com/" target="_blank">E</a><a data-mce-href="http://www.emilyhainsworth.com/" href="http://www.emilyhainsworth.com/" target="_blank">mily Hainsworth</a> (Balzer + Bray)</h3><br /><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://www.emilyhainsworth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Through-to-You-HC_forSwag-198x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.emilyhainsworth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Through-to-You-HC_forSwag-198x300.jpg" title="Through to You book cover" width="198" /><br /><br /><h4>Cover blurb:</h4>Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv.<br />The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all.<br /><br /><h3><a data-mce-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12842828-keeper-of-the-lost-cities" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12842828-keeper-of-the-lost-cities" target="new">KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES</a>&nbsp;by <a data-mce-href="http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/" href="http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Shannon Messenger</a> (Aladdin)</h3><br /><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IYXN_INgF_U/TxCG0pqdK4I/AAAAAAAACHE/_Ey5S6Xb4dU/s250/Keeper_cvr_FINAL_LR.jpg" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IYXN_INgF_U/TxCG0pqdK4I/AAAAAAAACHE/_Ey5S6Xb4dU/s250/Keeper_cvr_FINAL_LR.jpg" title="Keeper of the Lost Cities cover photo" width="167" /><br /><br /><h4>Cover blurb:</h4>Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.<br />Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.<br />Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.<br />In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.<br /><br /><h3><a data-mce-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13513650-chasing-the-skip" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13513650-chasing-the-skip" target="_blank">CHASING THE SKIP</a> by <a data-mce-href="http://www.jancipatterson.com/" href="http://www.jancipatterson.com/" target="_blank">Janci Patterson</a> (Henry Holt)</h3><h3><br /></h3><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://www.jancipatterson.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Chasing-the-skip-smaller.jpg" height="250" src="http://www.jancipatterson.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Chasing-the-skip-smaller.jpg" title="Chasing the Skip Cover art" width="165" /><br /><br /><h4>Cover blurb:</h4>Ricki’s dad has never been there for her. He’s a bounty hunter who spends his time chasing parole evaders—also known as “skips”—all over the country. But now since Ricki’s mom ran off, Ricki finds herself an unwilling passenger in a front-row seat to her father’s dangerous lifestyle.<br />Ricki’s feelings get even more confused when her dad starts chasing seventeen-year-old Ian Burnham. She finds herself unavoidably attracted to the dark-eyed felon who seems eager to get acquainted. But Ricki thinks she’s ever in control—the perfect manipulator. Little does she know that Ian isn’t playing their game by her rules.<br /><br /><h3><a data-mce-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11798085-send-me-a-sign" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11798085-send-me-a-sign" target="new">SEND ME A SIGN</a>&nbsp;by <a data-mce-href="http://www.tiffanyschmidt.com/" href="http://www.tiffanyschmidt.com/" target="_blank">Tiffany Schmidt </a>(Walker)</h3><br /><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://www.tiffanyschmidt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Send-me-a-Sign1-198x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.tiffanyschmidt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Send-me-a-Sign1-198x300.jpg" title="Send Me a Sign cover art" width="198" /><br /><br /><h4>Cover blurb:</h4>Mia is always looking for signs. A sign that she should get serious with her soccer-captain boyfriend. A sign that she’ll get the grades to make it into an Ivy-league school. One sign she <em>didn’t </em>expect to look for was: “Will I survive cancer?” It’s a question her friends would never understand, prompting Mia to keep her illness a secret. The only one who knows is her lifelong best friend, Gyver, who is poised to be so much more. Mia is determined to survive, but when you have so much going your way, there is so much more to lose. From debut author Tiffany Schmidt comes a heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting story of one girl’s search for signs of life in the face of death.<br /><h5>And my personal favorite:</h5><h3><a data-mce-href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9860837-ironskin" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9860837-ironskin" target="_blank">IRON SKIN</a> by <a data-mce-href="http://tinaconnolly.com/" href="http://tinaconnolly.com/" target="_blank">Tina Connolly</a></h3><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333049212l/9860837.jpg" height="331" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333049212l/9860837.jpg" title="Iron Skin cover art." width="223" /></div><br /><h4>Cover blurb:</h4>Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.<br />It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.<br />When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.<br />Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey.<br />Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.<br />J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-56027325491903814912012-10-01T15:12:00.000-04:002012-10-01T15:12:30.665-04:00New website is live!Well, today is the day! It's October 1st, which means 2 things. It's exactly 42 days until RENEGADE launches and, more importantly at the moment, it's the day my <a href="http://www.jasouders.com/" target="_blank">new website</a> goes live! I'm so excited for you to see it. It's been designed by the wonderful, fantabulous Tessa Elwood of <a data-mce-href="http://www.ipopcolor.com/" href="http://www.ipopcolor.com/">ipopcolor</a>. She's truly fantastic and I'm so glad I've been able to work with her.<br /><br />I LOVE my new website. I love the purple and the creepy, elegant shadows on the side. Not to mention the blood splatter. But I think my absolute favorite is the splash page. I love how the lightning is streaking out of the door like something from a mad scientist's laboratory. I don't think I could have asked for a more perfect site.<br />Because I have a new website, I also have a <a href="http://jasouders.com/blog/" target="_blank">new blog</a>. I'll still be cross-posting blog posts for the next few weeks, but soon it'll go away and new blog posts will only be on the new blog, so you'll want to sign up for the RSS feed. It's up there in the left corner above the Renegade countdown widget on the new blog. :)<br /><br />Also, you may have noticed on my news page, I have some appearances listed. This is by far not all of them. There are still a ton still in the works, especially for my launch. I'll update the list when I have confirmations. Also, I'm going to have a newsletter! If you want to sign-up for that, you can do so by going to my contact page. And, I'll be starting sign-ups for my street team soon! I'm still sorting details, but I'm really excited about it. More details soon!<br /><br />I'm sure there's going to be a few bugs to work out with the site(there always is, especially when it comes to me. I'm hopelessly lost when it comes to computer stuff--which is insane considering I'm a science fiction author. LOL.), so if you see something that isn't working right or whatever, let me know!<br /><br />Anyway, to celebrate this awesome occasion, I'll be giving away 5 ARCs of RENEGADE. And all you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter widget below. The contest will run for 2 weeks until October 15th. Then I'll choose 5 winners at random. This contest is US/Canada only do to postage issues, but I'll have more international contests soon.<br /><br /><br /><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a3fb0d12/" id="rc-a3fb0d12" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-68490484688136504402012-09-28T14:11:00.003-04:002012-09-28T14:11:31.131-04:00Renegade GIVEAWAY!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3-3RoYIG2uw/UCJoMQ-qyRI/AAAAAAAAAjE/xZCgR4oA_V0/s1600/RenegadeHiRes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3-3RoYIG2uw/UCJoMQ-qyRI/AAAAAAAAAjE/xZCgR4oA_V0/s320/RenegadeHiRes.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><br /><br />Hi lovelies!<br /><br /><br />My awesome publisher is hosting 2 (yep, 2!) giveaways of Renegade. Between the two of them they're giving away a total of 15 copies!<br /><br />The first is <a href="http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/09/renegade-sweepstakes" target="_blank">here</a> at Tor.com.&nbsp; They're giving away 10 copies and all you have to do is email them at the provided email address.&nbsp; Follow the link for more details.<br /><br />And the other giveaway is here at goodreads, where they're giving away 5 copies. This contest ends Oct. 19th and all you have to do is enter through goodreads. :)<br /><br />So have fun entering and good luck!<br /><br />Also, next week, I'll be revealing my new website and blog!&nbsp; And there will be more giveaways then and, possibly, the revealing of my street team!&nbsp; :)&nbsp; Hope you'll join me!<br /><br /><br />J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107831093945470743.post-31536245910256275612012-09-21T10:11:00.000-04:002012-09-21T10:11:16.865-04:00Elysium Chronicles Short Story: A Dark Grave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NfQ3gyglL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-69,22_AA300_SH20_OU03_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NfQ3gyglL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-69,22_AA300_SH20_OU03_.jpg" /></a></div><br />Hello, my lovelies! I've just gotten word that my Elysium Chronicles short story, EIN DUNKLES GRAB (A Dark Grave), is out now in Germany! And best of all it's FREE!<br /><br />So if you read German, want to read German, or just like free stuff go ahead and download it! And even if you don't read German, please feel free to share this post and the link! :)<br /><br />A DARK GRAVE is from Gavin's POV before he enters Elysium, so if you've read RENEGADE and were wondering just how exactly Gavin got to where he did, or you're just interested in Gavin, or want a sneak peak into the Elysium Chronicles this is perfect for you.<br /><br />It's currently in the #24 slot for free kindle books and #2 for childrens at Amazon Germany.<br /><br />Here's the cover blurb in German:<br /><br /><br /><span>Nach dem Tod seines Vaters zählt in Gavins Leben nur eines: Er muss seine Mutter und seinen kleinen Bruder ernähren.</span> <span> Doch wie soll das in einer Welt gelingen, in der die Natur feindlich und die Ressourcen knapp geworden sind?</span> <span> Gavin beschließt, heimlich auf jene rätselhafte Insel im Meer zu segeln, wo es Wild im Überfluss geben soll - aber auch todbringende Geheimnisse.</span> <span> Als er aufbricht, ahnt er nicht, dass ihn diese Reise in ein dunkles Grab führen wird ...</span> <span> Wie es nach »Ein dunkles Grab« weitergeht, erfährst du im Roman »Renegade.</span> <span> Tiefenrausch«, erschienen bei ivi.&nbsp;</span><br /><span><br /></span><span>Where to buy:</span><br /><span><br /></span><span>(NOTE: I only know the Amazon location, but will post more links when I find out if it's at any other e-retailer.)</span><br /><span><br /></span><span><a href="http://www.amazon.de/Ein-dunkles-Grab-Kurzgeschichte-ebook/dp/B009DHBBVS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348236446&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> </span><br /><span><br /></span><span>Also, for my German friends, I will be having a contest soon, just for you! I'm still working out the logistics, but the prizes are going to be sweet!&nbsp; So stay tuned for that soon.</span><br /><span><br /></span>J.A. Soudershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17460557430817566294noreply@blogger.com